Cross carrier Keith comes to Taiwan

十字架運送者凱勒來台灣

Cross carrier has taken his 12-foot wooden cross to over 200 countries over the course of 32 years


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- An American man, who has carried his 12-foot wooden cross across the world many times over the course of 32 years, added Taiwan to the over 200 countries he had journeyed to, having just completed a two-week trek of the country on Nov.4.

The man, Keith Wheeler, who currently lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, has carried the 90-pound cross over 24,000 miles over the course of three decades. His travels have taken him from places as far flung as Tibet, Samoa, Iran, and even Antarctica.

In 1985, Wheeler says that God spoke to him and told him to carry the cross to through the streets of Tulsa. He then felt God tell him to "take the cross and identify that message of love along the roadsides of this world."

Wheeler says that he is not a missionary and does not belong to a specific Christian denomination, rather he says he follows God's call for him to be a "'pilgrim of peace' and a messenger of God's love."


(Image from Keith Wheeler)

Wheeler has even been through treacherous war zones such as Libya, Bosnia, Rwanda, Chechnya, and Syria. He has scaled mountains has high as Mount Kilimanjaro and reached the base camp of Mount Everest.

Wheeler says that he even offered himself as hostage to swap with a person being held inside during a standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. After the captors turned down his offer, he says that he stayed next to the church for several days and was amazed to see how Israelis and Palestinians competed to show who was treating him with more compassion.

(Image from Keith Wheeler)

Though most people in most countries are friendly toward him, he has been arrested many times and even jailed for carrying his cross in hostile lands. He says that he was even taken before a firing squad and has been beaten on numerous occasions.

Ironically, of all the places in the world he has had a gun pulled on him while carrying the cross, wheeler said the vast majority of instances were in the U.S.


(Image from Keith Wheeler)

Wheeler says that through his travels he has learned many languages such as Russian, Spanish and Swahili. As for Mandarin, he says he learned the language from a friend many years ago, but only remembers a few key phrases that we was able to put to good use during this trip to Taiwan. He said many people in urban areas of Taiwan speak English very well, but when he travels into rural areas, there are a lot fewer English speakers.


(Image from Keith Wheeler)

When asked by Taiwan News about his impression of Taiwan Wheeler said:


"It was an incredible privilege to visit Taiwan! Although, Taiwan is a beautiful country and an amazing place, what makes it SO VERY beautiful are the people — absolutely lovely! I was welcomed with love and treated with such kindness! It truly was an honor to be there. I pray that God gives me the grace to return, one day!"



(Taiwan news photo)